At the end of November a public exhibit of his work in Penang was disrupted by pro-government vandals and eventually cancelled. Shortly thereafter Zunar was arrested, seemingly at the behest of a local official. An investigation into the incident is ongoing and Zunar will have to return for further questioning in January.

The Inspector General of Police recently stated that Zunar should draw “nice” cartoons, for example Donald Duck, if he doesn’t want to fall foul of the law. His response features his usual bêtes noires, prime minister Najib Razak and wife Rosmah Mansor.

The background to all of the above is the Malaysian government’s long-standing sedition case against Zunar which he is likewise seeking to overturn with a formal legal challenge in the new year.

With regard to his application for a judicial review against the travel ban, he says:

“The grounds of the challenge are that there is no reason given by the authorities for the travel ban, and there is no court order barring me from leaving the country. Hence, this arbitrary banning is an abuse of power and a breach of natural justice and the Federal Constitution.”

CRNI reiterate our support for Zunar in the face of continual harassment and call for an end to his persecution by agents of the state.